City Centre: Art, History and Routes Through The Hague

When looking for a hotel in the city centre, you can plan your stay around the things that interest you in The Hague: art, royal history, architecture or city routes. The Binnenstad is a historic landmark; museums and tours each have their own focus. When planning, it makes a difference whether you want to learn more about a work of art, choose a specific city walk or enjoy a view over the city.

Historic Sites and Royal History

The Binnenstad is the oldest part of The Hague; it includes the Binnenhof and the Ridderzaal. The Mauritshuis is in the historic city centre, right next to the Binnenhof. The Gevangenpoort has been a museum since 1882. The city is home to various historic sites, each with its own connection to the history of The Hague.

The King uses Paleis Noordeinde as his working palace. The palace’s history has been inseparable from the House of Orange since 1591. In the old city centre, Noordeinde is also known for its exclusive fashion boutiques, galleries, and antique and art shops. The Paleiskerk is a distinctive historic building in the centre of The Hague, near Paleis Noordeinde. It was built in the Neo-Romanesque style in 1885–1886, to designs by the architect K. Stoffels.

The tour of the Eerste Kamer explains the building’s functions, history and interior. It starts in the square in front of the entrance at Kazernestraat 52 in The Hague; check this starting point again before booking. The ProDemos visitor centre is directly opposite the Binnenhof. The Grote Kerk is within walking distance of Den Haag Centraal station.

Art, Collections and Architecture

Escher in Het Paleis is a small 18th-century palace now dedicated to the work of M. C. Escher. The museum displays more than 120 prints from the work of Maurits C. Escher (1898–1972), as well as a selection of changing graphic art and tessellations. Three free audio tours on the Bloomberg Connects app complement the visit.

Museum Panorama Mesdag displays Mesdag’s 360-degree panorama. Another artistic connection can be found at Museum Bredius, housed in the former home of art collector Abraham Bredius. Until 1985, Abraham Bredius’s collection of paintings, drawings, antique furniture, silverware, crystalware and porcelain was open to the public. The Nieuwe Kerk is of particular cultural and historical value to the history of art and architecture. Behind the church, on the site of the former churchyard, stands a monument commemorating Baruch Spinoza.

Routes, Views and Winter

The “Van strand tot strand” city walk covers about 19 kilometres from The Hague’s Binnenstad to the beach, passing Museum Panorama Mesdag. The “Duinenroute Zuid” cycling route also passes the museum; it runs from Scheveningen via Kijkduin back to the city centre. The first route gives you an approximate distance and the beach as a destination, while the second is defined by the places mentioned and its return to the city centre.

Climbing The Hague Tower involves 288 steps leading to a balcony with a 360-degree view over The Hague and the seaside resorts of Scheveningen and Kijkduin. In winter, the Hofvijver offers a weather-dependent opportunity for ice skating: people have been skating there for almost four centuries, provided the weather and ice conditions allow it. In winters cold enough, the Hofvijver can still be used as a natural ice rink.

Discover more destinations: Scheveningen, Haagse Hout, Vissershaven, Kijkduin, Geuzenkwartier.

Return to the main travel overview: The Hague.